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5 Ways FAQ Software Improves Company Communications

When your company runs like a well-oiled machine, what are the top factors that contribute to your success? Alternatively, when challenges arise, what are their main causes? If your organization is like the vast majority of firms out there, then the answers to both questions likely contain something related to communication.

In this increasingly mobile, globalized, and diverse business landscape, effective communication is essential — both within a company and between a company and its customers. Today, the communication between companies and individuals can very well make the difference between which firms survive and which ones don’t. Because communication is so important, many software programs and apps are targeted specifically toward improving this function. But in reality, almost all technologies today serve as communication tools of some sort.

1. Facilitating relationships across an organization through knowledge sharing

FAQ software doesn’t just provide a central repository for knowledge resources (though that is indeed its main purpose), it can also facilitate relationships, especially in organizations that are widely dispersed geographically. For example, employees can create knowledge base entries to share with others, request entries from other employees, and even work collaboratively on knowledge resources. Having all of the resources in one place facilitates this collaboration by providing a platform and a process for knowledge content creation.

2. Assisting employees to build in-house personal learning networks

In the field of workforce education, the idea of personal learning networks has been gaining steam for at least the past year. It has become a well-recognized fact that most of an employee’s training comes from informal avenues, such as reading information online and talking with others. A personal learning network is in essence a network of both resources and individuals that people can access when they have a question or need to find a solution. With its content rating systems and authorship capabilities, FAQ software assists employees to build in-house personal learning networks by helping them identify the resources and individuals from whom they can learn best.

3. Helping new hires understand company policies and protocols

Oftentimes communication problems result not from failed attempts at communicating, but from no attempts at all. Having a single place where all documents and resources related to company policies and protocols are stored can help companies communicate those policies and protocols as a part of the orientation process.

4. Distributing information quickly when things change

Failures of communication can also happen when the people who most need to know a particular piece of information aren’t actually told about it. The version control and notification updates features of FAQ software can help ensure that everyone in the company is accessing the most recent and most relevant information, even when things change.

5. Easing communication between employees and customers

By providing a self-service option for customer services, FAQ software prevents (at least mostly) employees from having to answer the same questions multiple times. It also decreases the load on the customer service department by reducing the number of tickets. Agents who are not irritated or overworked are able to provide higher quality service and support to their customers. FAQ software that provides a service module with various ways for employees and customers to connect (i.e., live chat, call backs, etc.) makes customer service communications much smoother and more pleasant for everyone involved.

It’s rather overestimated to say that communication is king. Just because FAQ software is not a communication platform per se doesn’t mean that it can’t effectively be used to improve company’s communications processes, both internal and external. Instead of thinking about FAQ software as purely a way for employees and customers to connect with the content contained in your knowledge base, think of it also as a way for them to connect with one another.

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DavidMiller

David Miller is an educational researcher who has vast experience in the field of teaching, online testing and training. He is associated with prestigious universities and many leading educational research organizations. He’s an ed-tech veteran, currently pursuing research in ProProfs Knowledge Base Software, and is a contributing author with ProProfs.